Have Gun Will Travel debuted on November 23, 1958. The show followed the adventures of Paladin, a gentleman-turned-gunfighter played by John Dehner on radio, who preferred to settle problems without violence, yet, when forced to fight, excelled. Paladin lived in the Carlton Hotel in San Francisco, where he dressed in semi-formal wear, ate gourmet food, and attended opera. In fact, many who initially met him mistook him for a dandy from the East. When working, he dressed in black, used calling cards and wore a holster which carried characteristic chess knight emblems, and carried a derringer under his belt. The knight symbol is of course in reference to his name — possibly a nickname or working name — and his occupation as a champion-for-hire (see paladin). The theme song of the series refers to him as "a knight without armor." In addition, Paladin drew a parallel between his methods and the chess piece's movement: "It's a chess piece, the most versatile on the board. It can move in eight different directions, over obstacles, and it's always unexpected."

Paladin was a former Army officer and a graduate of West Point. He was a polyglot, capable of speaking any foreign tongue required by the plot. He also had a thorough knowledge of ancient history and classical literature, and he exhibited a strong passion for legal principles and the rule of law.


Calfkiller Old Time Radio


This audio is part of the collection: Old Time Radio
It also belongs to collection: Radio Programs

Artist/Composer: Calfkiller Old Time Radio

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Calfkiller Old Time Radio

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Reviewer: mctiggs - - December 15, 2011
Subject: Solid Gold
I have listened to all of these episodes at least twice. Paladin never loses a gunfight. Paladin never loses a woman. Paladin gives away more money than he earns. And almost every episode ends with good old fashioned racist joke.

Reviewer: CalvinMoore - - September 4, 2011
Subject: John Dehner Rocks!
Dehner's Paladin could kick Boone's Paladin's butt any day of the week! I could literally listen to him read the phone book. He's that good of a voice actor. One of the last westerns of the golden age. What a way to close out an era. It doesn't get any better than this.

Reviewer: DaNess - - June 14, 2009
Subject: Not the best western seires, but still great!
The Six Shooter is my favorite western OTR series but this is still a very good show, sad that it started up after Radio Shows had went down way low to where TV was 5 times popular than Radio.

Reviewer: pablohablo - - December 17, 2008
Subject: Outstanding OTR Show
This is one of the best radio shows along with the two prime years of Johnny Dollar and Frontier Gentleman. It is no coincidence that John Dehner is the star of two of the three shows. His work on these shows and the occasional Gunsmoke episode are simply remarkable. Listen and enjoy.

Reviewer: XMinusOne - - November 30, 2007
Subject: If I was picking a favorite old time radio western...
I would be hard-pressed not to pick Gunsmoke, if nothing else because of it's longevity; it simply wouldn't have lasted without quality writing and quality acting. And when it moved to television the quality stayed high (again, it's longevity attesting to the writing and the acting). Have Gun, Will Travel, on the other hand, made a the transition the other way, from being a quality and successful television show to becoming one of the last radio shows of it's type, what we now consider old time radio series. It arrived, unfortunately, at the time radio series were becoming a thing of the past as television began to take the radio audiences; people no longer wanted to take the time to listen and concentrate on the story line. If it came to radio several years earlier, it's likely it would have lasted longer and, while probably not strong comsimply for Gunsmoke, it would have had a significant audience. Have Gun, Will Travel is well worth listening to, as are Frontier Gentleman (which also starred Mr. Dehner) and The Six Shooter (with James 'Jimmy' Stewart, and which lasted only one season).

Reviewer: HOGEFAN - - November 25, 2007
Subject: The Best of the Westerns
To many, Gunsmoke was the best of the Westerns series, but for its storytelling, diversity in plots, and enjoyable, witty scripts, Have Gun Will Travel beats them all.

The fact that this program is a re-airing of plots taken from the Richard Boone TV series doesn't take away from the enjoyment of this radio series. The Richard Boone TV shows were fantastic; the radio shows starring John Dehner as Paladin, IMO, are even better. John Dehner's Paladin is a less stuffy version of Paladin, and genuinely more likeable.

Ben Wright is hilarious as Hey Boy, and this Hey Boy is much better than the Kam Tong version from the TV series. Virginia is terrific as well as Miss Wong.

Gunsmoke is very good, but HGWT is the best.